The following is from Manjula’s KitchenChanna Dal, also known as Bengal Gram, is the most popular legume in India. Chana dal has a very low glycemic index.

Whole Chana DalWhole chana is known as kala chana and belongs to the same family as chickpea. Whole chana is a little smaller and darker brown than chickpea and has a nutty taste. Kala chana is high in iron and protein.

Split Chana DalWithout the skin and split, chana is known split chana dal. Flour from chana dal is called Basen. Chana dal is delicious, nutritious and easily digested.

Chana Dal is one of the dishes that feeds India and it is remarkable in its flavor and simplicity. The dish consists of spiced chana dal, usually cooked in a pressure cooker to save fuel, with an added finishing tadka, or fried spice infusion made from heated ghee or oil and spices which is poured into the dal just before serving. Hence Chana Dal Fry.

The following is from Mark Bittman’s NY Times article New York Dals The texture can be adjusted to your preference, and made quite thin and soupy or very thick, but it’s almost always semi-puréed with the mathani and therefore a bit creamy. You’re not going to get authentic dal texture by simply cooking a pot of ordinary chickpeas with Indian spices.

A mathani is a basically a thin wooden dowel with a star shaped fixture on the business end that is twirled between the palms of your hands to puree the cooked dal to your desired consistency. I make this dish quite often and sometimes skip the puree step altogether as illustrated in my pic. Depends upon how I feel at the time.

One of my favorite Chana Dal Fry recipes is from the same Mark Bittman article. It is a New Delhi style fry developed by Julie Sahni. It is spicy, delicious, and nutritious.

Preparation 1. Combine the chana dal, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaf, salt and 4 cups water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently, cover partly and cook for 40 minutes. At that point, the mixture should still be quite moist; if it is not, add 1 cup additional water and continue cooking, covered, until the dal is tender, about 20 minutes; turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaf. Use an Indian mathani (see related article) to purée the dal for about 1 minute; the dal should be saucy but not soupy.

2. To make the tadka, put the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cloves; let sizzle for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until medium brown. Stir in the chili flakes if you’re using them, and turn off the heat.

3. Pour the tadka into the dal; stir gently to combine. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

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